Pamela Austin
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Pamela Austin is an American retired actress.


Early life

Austin was born in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
. She spent part of her childhood in Europe, as her father served a tour of duty with the Air Force there. Austin studied dancing at
Sacramento State College California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California, United States. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is part of the California State Universit ...
, and found work with the Tony Martin nightclub act upon arriving in Hollywood.


Career

In addition to appearing in two
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
films, in 1964–1967 Austin gained fame for a long series of popular automobile television commercials (and print ads) for
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
(the Charger,
Coronet In British heraldry, a coronet is a type of crown that is a mark of rank of non-reigning members of the royal family and peers. In other languages, this distinction is not made, and usually the same word for ''crown'' is used irrespective of ra ...
, Polara, and other models). As the perky "Dodge Rebellion Girl", she appeared in around twenty commercials as a
damsel in distress The damsel in distress is a narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has been kidnapped or placed in other peril. The "damsel" is often portrayed as beautiful, popular, and of high social status; she is usually depicted ...
: menaced by sharks, falling from a drawbridge, a roof, a cargo plane, etc. Her tag line at the end of each ad was "The Dodge Rebellion wants you!" The ad series led to numerous film and television offers and a three-page profile in ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' (August 20–26, 1966). By 1968, Dodge executives felt Austin's popularity was overshadowing the cars and began a new "Dodge Fever" campaign with a different model, Joan Anita Parker. In August 1967, she starred in the adventure-comedy film '' The Perils of Pauline'' based on the silent
cliff-hanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...
serial. Posters for the film referenced her Dodge commercials: ''That "Rebellion Girl" is dodgin' unbelievable perils...''Pamela Austin – Filmography
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. Retrieved January 6, 2017. In 1968, she was a semi-regular on the hit comedy series ''
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for six seasons from January 22, 1968, to July 23, 1973, on the NBC television network. The show, hosted by comed ...
'' during its first season. Austin performed in various comedy sketches, song-and-dance numbers, and pre-filmed segments, including an early music video for "Buy For Me The Rain" by
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (sometimes abbreviated NGDB), also known as the Dirt Band, is an American band founded in Long Beach, California, in 1966. Since 2018, the band has consisted of Jeff Hanna and his son Jaime Hanna, both guitarists and voc ...
.


Filmography


Films

*''
Blue Hawaii ''Blue Hawaii'' is a 1961 American musical romantic comedy drama film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written Amer ...
'' (1961) – Selena (Sandy) Emerson *''
The Chapman Report ''The Chapman Report'' is a 1962 American Technicolor drama film starring Shelley Winters, Jane Fonda, Claire Bloom and Glynis Johns. It was made by DFZ Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. It was directed by George Cukor and produced ...
'' (1962) *''
Rome Adventure ''Rome Adventure'', also known as ''Lovers Must Learn'', is a 1962 American romantic drama film, based on the 1932 novel ''Lovers Must Learn'' by Irving Fineman. It was directed by Delmer Daves and stars Troy Donahue, Angie Dickinson, and Suzan ...
'' (1962) – Agnes Hutton *'' Critic's Choice'' (1963) – Daughter (uncredited) *''
The Caretakers Caretaker may refer to: Occupations * Janitor (chiefly in the United States), a person who cleans and maintains buildings such as hospitals and schools * Property caretaker, a person who cares for a property * Caregiver or carer (UK), a person wh ...
'' (1963) – Student Nurse (uncredited) *''
Hootenanny Hoot ''Hootenanny Hoot'' is a 1963 folk music musical film directed by Gene Nelson. It stars Peter Breck and Ruta Lee. Plot A TV director, having split up with his producer-wife, decides to telecast a traveling hootenanny show. Cast * Peter Breck a ...
'' (1963) – Billie-Jo Henley *''
Kissin' Cousins ''Kissin' Cousins'' is a 1964 American musical Panavision Metrocolor comedy film directed by Gene Nelson and starring Elvis Presley. Written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Gene Nelson, the film featured Presley playing two roles: an Air Force o ...
'' (1964) – Selena Tatum *'' The Perils of Pauline'' (1967) – Pauline *''
Evil Roy Slade ''Evil Roy Slade'' is a 1972 American made-for-television Western comedy film about the "meanest villain in the West". It was directed by Jerry Paris and co-produced and co-written by Garry Marshall. The film is considered a cult classic. Plo ...
'' (1972, TV Movie) – Betsy Potter *'' Agatha'' (1979) – Pierrot #2 *'' No Surrender'' (1985) – Organist *'' The Dressmaker'' (1988) – Singer (final film role)


Television

*''
Surfside 6 ''Surfside 6'' is an ABC television series that aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centers on a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat, and features Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield II, Van Williams as Kenny Madison (a character recycled ...
'' ("Prescription for Panic"; 1961) *''
77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...
'' ("The Steerer"; 1962) *''
77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...
'' ("Reunion at Balboa"; 1963) *''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...
'' ("Molly Kincaid Story"; 1963) *'' The Fugitive'' ("Come Watch Me Die"; 1964) *''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...
'' ("
Number 12 Looks Just Like You "Number 12 Looks Just Like You" is an episode of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It is set in a dystopian future in which everyone, upon reaching adulthood, has their body surgically altered into one of a set of ...
"; 1964) *''
My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seve ...
'' ("Robbie and the Chorus Girl"; 1965) *''
The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...
'' ("The Night of the Whirring Death"; 1966) *'' The Virginian'' ("Girl on the Glass Mountain") (1966) *'' It Takes a Thief'' ("Hans Across the Border", parts 1 & 2) (1968) *''
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for six seasons from January 22, 1968, to July 23, 1973, on the NBC television network. The show, hosted by comed ...
'' (six episodes; 1968) *''
Love American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...
'' ("Love and the Phone Booth"; 1969) *'' Columbo: Blueprint for Murder'' (1972) *'' Nearly a Happy Ending'' (1980)


Personal life

Austin married Charles W. Britt in Santa Clara, California, on October 27, 1963; they had one child, a son, Beau C. Britt (born June 17, 1964). Austin and Britt divorced later that year. Her second marriage was to Guy Franklin McElwaine, a Hollywood press agent-turned-studio head, in Los Angeles on July 17, 1965. They divorced in June 1967. She married Leopold S. Wyler in Los Angeles on January 9, 1974.


References


External links

* * * * *
Fansite profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Pamela Living people Actresses from Omaha, Nebraska American television actresses American film actresses 20th-century American actresses Year of birth missing (living people)